The march to dignity: One year of Death with Dignity in California

Share This

Every week has been significant in the Death with Dignity movement lately. Milestone after milestone, we approach the day when all Americans will have a full range of end-of-life options. This week is no exception: We stand by that. With California having an assisted dying law, more than fifty million Americans had the option, should they qualify, to end their lives in a humane and dignified manner.

Freedom won the day on June 9, 2016. Freedom to make your own end-of-life decisions without interference from the government or church. Freedom to decide to end your suffering if you are dying from a terminal illness. Freedom to die with dignity, on your own terms.

We are grateful for your being with us on this journey, through the stretches of committee votes, detours of legislative maneuvers, even an occasional blister of fighting the Bishop.

But make no mistake, we’re not there yet. Next week will again be important as I’ll be watching a hearing for the lawsuit challenging the California End of Life Option Act.

It is this march to dignity that California’s first anniversary evokes and that we associate with every anniversary of every Death with Dignity law. The calendar is filling up: February 21 – Washington, D.C. March 5 – Washington. May 20 – Vermont. June 9 – California. November 4 – Oregon. December 16 – Colorado. We celebrate each of these big days—and then we get back to work.

Our legislation made it further this session than ever before in Hawaii, Maine, and Nevada. Though our campaigns there and in Maryland did not yield the results we wanted, we’re already laying the groundwork for the next session and the days when we celebrate our victories and mark their anniversaries in those states.